Mars-Bound Comet Siding Spring Sprouts Multiple Jets

This comet is beautiful, can't wait until October 19th, I'll have my telescope out

Left:Hubble Space Telescope picture of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring photographed March 11, 2014. At that time the comet was 353 million miles from Earth. Right: When the glow of the coma is subtracted through image processing, Hubble resolves what appear to be two jets of dust coming off the nucleus in opposite directions. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J.-Y. Li (Planetary Science Institute)

Mars and Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring will overlap as seen from Earth on Oct. 19, 2014 when the comet might pass as close as 25,700 miles (41,300 km) from the planet’s center. View shows the sky at the end of evening twilight facing southwest. Stellarium

Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring photographed from Australia on March 4, 2014. Credit: Rolando Ligustri

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Comet Siding Spring, on its way to a close brush with Mars on October 19, has been kicking up a storm lately. New images from Hubble Space Telescope taken on March 11, when the comet was just this side of Jupiter, reveal multiple jets of gas and dust.

“This is critical information that we need to determine whether, and to what degree, dust grains in the coma of the comet will impact Mars and spacecraft in the vicinity of Mars,” said Jian-Yang Li of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona.
On October 19 this year, Comet Siding Spring will pass within 84,000 miles (135,000 km) of Mars or less than half the distance of our moon. There’s a distinct possibility that orbiting Mars probes like NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the European Mars Express might be enveloped by the comet’s coma (hazy atmosphere) and pelted by dust.

reply to post by Jennyfrenzy


Looking forward to getting the spectral analysis of the coma. I'm also hopeful for imaging in the near x-ray spectrum but I don't always get what I want.

The point where H2O should dominate isn't until it reaches just outside the orbit of Mars.

Katchina blue Like the color.

reply to post by rickymouse


That's what I thought when I saw the color. Haha, thanks ATS

reply to post by Jennyfrenzy


It sure is a beauty, wow! Space is a beautiful place, so much yet to be discovered. Can't wait to see more images after impact, if it does in fact end up impacting Mars.

Wonder if one of the rovers will also be able to get an image of this as well.

One Love,

Lucinda

I am wondering when the doom pornographers are going to come out of the woodwork and predict our impending destruction from this comet...

ISON surely disappointed them all...